Setting
Name the town and larger territory in which the story begins.
Sighet, Transylvania
He is described here: “He was very poor and lived humbly…. Nobody felt embarrassed by him …. He was a past master in the art of making himself insignificant, of seeming invisible.”
Moishe the Beadle
Why did Eliezer's father not wish to emigrate and leave Sighet?
He feels he is too old to start a new life in a distant land.
She screams "Jews! I see a fire! I see huge flames!"
Mrs. Schacter
What does Madame Schäcter claim to see on the train?
Fire and flames
In what year did Elie enter Auschwitz?
1944
Who does this quote describe? "fair hair well combed, a red coat over her arm, a little girl of seven. The bundle on her back was too heavy for her. She gritted her teeth. She knew by now that it would be useless to complain.”
Tzipora
What are Eliezer and Shlomo actual ages when they arrive at the camp?
15 and 50
“I don’t attach any importance to my life any more. I’m alone. No, I wanted to come back, and to warn you.’”
Moishe the Beadle
What was the function of the one person selected to be in charge of each train car?
If anyone escaped, the person in charge of the train car would be shot
Before the cattle cars, the Jews are relocated to sectioned-off portions of the city called...
Ghettos
He is described here “ . . . a cultured, rather unsentimental man. There was never any display of emotion. . . . The Jewish community in Sighet held him in the greatest esteem. They often used to consult him about public matters and even about private ones."
Shlomo Wiesel
How does Wiesel describe Buna when they arrive?
Like an epidemic: empty and dead
“Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, which has turned my life into one long night, seven times cursed and seven times sealed....Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust. Never shall I forget these things, even if I am condemned to live as long as God Himself. Never.”
Elie Wiesel
What is the exact moment when Elie first questions his religion and faith? What does he see?
Infants being thrown into open flames.
What country is Sighet in today?
Romania
He is described as having “. . . a cruel face, but not devoid of intelligence, and wearing a monocle; a conductor’s baton in his hand . . . . The baton moved unremittingly, sometimes to the right, sometimes to the left.”
Dr. Mengele (aka The Angel of Death)
What is ironic about Wiesel not wanting to trade his shoes for the guarantee that he and his father would not be separated?
The shoes were taken later in exchange for nothing.
"Just you wait, kid... You will see what it costs to leave your work... You'll pay for this later..."
Idek
How does Wiesel keep from having his crown pulled the first time he is called to the dentist?
he has a fever and doesn't feel well
At the end of the third Chapter, the inmates are transported to this location.
Buna
Who does Wiesel have to be careful of while working at Buna?
Idek
Before approaching Dr. Mengele, what does one inmate explain to Elie and his father?
to lie about their ages
"Bite your lips, little brother... Don't cry. Keep your anger, your hate, for another day, for later. The day will come but not now... Wait. Clench your teeth and wait."
The French Girl
What does the work camp Wiesel and his father were assigned to in Buna require them to do?
count bolts, bulbs, and various small electrical parts